


The Unlikeliest of Friends

by Morgan McFly (FrankenSpine)



Series: BTTF One-Shots [1]
Category: Back to the Future (Movies)
Genre: Epic Friendship, Gen, One Shot, Pre-Canon, Teenage Rebellion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:27:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28270128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrankenSpine/pseuds/Morgan%20McFly
Summary: My take on the story of how Marty met Doc.
Relationships: Emmett "Doc" Brown & Marty McFly
Series: BTTF One-Shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2071674
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	The Unlikeliest of Friends

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first BTTF fic, but certainly not my last!

For as long as he could remember, Marty had always heard the stories of the wild-eyed scientist who lived near the local Burger King. His parents would occasionally warn him not to go anywhere near the place, claiming the old man who lived there was a dangerous, no-good lunatic, but being a curious thirteen year-old with a newly-realized rebellious streak, Marty opted not to listen.

One weekend, he and a handful of kids from junior high decided to spy on the scientist’s house and crouched down behind the trashcans along the curb, watching as the lights in the old man’s garage flickered on and off at a rapid pace. They exchanged confused-yet-intrigued glances.

“One of us should look inside,” said one of the boys, Douglas Needles, “Why don’t you go, McFly?”

Marty shot him a look. “Why me? It’s _your_ idea.”

“What’s the matter?” Needles countered, “Chicken?”

This made Marty’s blood boil. “Nobody calls me _chicken,”_ he muttered.

Without further hesitation, he crept over to the window and peered inside. He saw an old man with unkempt hair on the opposite side of the room. Luckily the old man’s back was turned. When Marty looked back at the other kids, he was left in a state of disbelief. They had all ditched him when his back was turned.

“Who’s chicken, now?” he grumbled.

Looking into the garage once again, Marty noticed that the old man was no longer there and waited a few moments to see if he would return. When the crazy-haired man didn’t come back, Marty went to the side door and twisted the knob. To his surprise, it was open. He quietly opened the door and stepped inside, looking around at all the strange things lying around.

Scattered all over the concrete floor were wires, gears, and other mechanical parts he couldn’t name. Most notable was the vast array of clocks along the wall to his left. Cuckoo clocks, animal clocks, alarm clocks, and dozens more, all ticking away. _Tick. Tick. Tick._ It was enough to drive anyone insane. No wonder the old man was so crazy— but then again, Marty couldn’t exactly say whether or not that was true. He’d only heard such claims from others. He had no first-hand experience, but maybe that was all about to change.

Marty busied himself with snooping through the garage, marveling over the elaborate blueprints for some machine he didn’t recognize. Suddenly, he saw a shadow cast over his own and quickly spun around to find himself face to face with the old man whose eyes were indeed wild.

“Can I help you, young man?”

“I— I’m sorry! I was just checking out all this cool stuff! I didn’t touch anything, I swear!” Marty stammered, “I’ll just be going now! I promise I won’t ever come back!”

The old man held up his hands. “Wait, wait, wait!” he said, seeming astonished, “You think my inventions are cool?”

Marty was confused, to say the least. “Uh, yeah,” he replied awkwardly, “What, uh, is all this, anyway?”

“Well, I’ve been putting together a dog food dispenser,” said the old man, “Would you like to see it?”

Marty was taken aback. “Really?”

The man smiled and nodded. “Of course.” He gestured to the far end of the counter where a mechanical arm with a claw was resting. “I have yet to attach it to the main apparatus, but it should be up and running in no time at all!”

“Couldn’t you just use a normal can-opener?”

“Of course! But where’s the fun in that?”

Marty seemed conflicted. “I guess that’s a good point,” he said with obvious uncertainty, “So, uh, where’s your dog?”

The old man sighed. “Haven’t got one.”

“What? Then why—”

“If all goes well, I can patent this machine and sell it commercially!” the scientist declared, “What about you, young man? Do you have a dog?”

“Uh, no,” said Marty, “My dad’s allergic, and my mom just doesn’t like ‘em.”

This seemed to break the old man’s heart. “That’s a damn shame,” he said, “Every boy should have a dog. I had a dog once. His name was Copernicus. I miss him dearly.”

“Well, why not get another one?”

“One cannot just _replace_ his best friend,” said the old man. He was quick to change the subject. “My apologies, young man, I haven’t properly introduced myself. My name is Doctor Emmett Brown.”

“Are you really a scientist like everyone says?”

“I am indeed,” said the doctor, “Do you like science?”

“I guess so, but I hate learning about it.”

“Then you haven’t been learning from the right teacher. What did you say your name was again?”

“Um, I didn’t, but it’s Marty. Marty McFly.”

The doctor smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Marty. You’re the first person to take any interest in my inventions.”

“You’re really not mad that I snuck in?”

“No, no. I can’t fault you for being curious. You’re welcome to come here whenever you like. Just try not to break anything. There’s a key under the mat.”

“Aren’t you worried someone else might try to break in?”

The doctor laughed. “Marty, no one’s tried to break in for as long as I’ve been here. I suppose it’s my reputation. Nobody wants anything to do with the wild-eyed scientist, or so I’ve heard.”

Marty felt a wave of immense guilt wash over him. “You really wouldn’t mind if I came back?”

“Not at all! You could help me with my experiments, and maybe clean the place up every now and again. I’d pay you by the hour.”

The boy’s eyes lit up. “You mean it?”

“Certainly. Just stop by whenever you can.”

“That sounds great!” said Marty.

“You’ll need to run this by your folks, of course,” said the doctor.

Marty’s smile faltered, though only a little. “Right,” he said, “Sure thing. I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow, then?”

“Counting on it,” said the old man, well-aware that the boy would not be informing his parents.

When Marty returned the following day on a skateboard, he found a note from the doctor taped to the side door.

_Dear Marty, I’ve gone out for a bit, but I’ll be back soon. – Doctor Brown._

Marty smiled as he entered the garage, note in hand. He folded it away in his pocket and walked over to the counter where the dog food dispenser was being kept. He supposed it was a pretty neat invention, but he wanted to see if it would actually work before making that judgment.

Less than a minute later, the door opened and in walked the doctor. He was carrying two paper bags that emanated a mouth-watering aroma.

“Afternoon, Marty,” he said, “I hope you enjoy Oriental cuisine!”

Marty laughed. _“Oriental?_ Who calls it that anymore?”

“Ah, forgive me. I’m afraid I’m just a little old-fashioned.” The scientist set the bags down and retrieved several cartons. “Rice, noodles, egg rolls— the works!”

“Wow, Doc, this is great,” said Marty, “You didn’t have to do all this.”

“No, I suppose not, but I didn’t want you to feel left out.”

The old man couldn’t help but smile when he realized what Marty had called him. _Doc._ He liked the sound of that. As the two of them dug into their lunch, it occurred to the scientist that while he could never replace his friend, he could certainly make another— and he believed he had.


End file.
